Cavalier Giusseppi Fortunato

Bob keeps teasing about the "connections" our neighbor (and friend) has. We went to Motta the other night with Giusseppi, Mimma and a few other of their friends making up a group of seven. It was a special "festa" combining the people of Sigonella Naval Air Station and the town of Motta which is the nearest to the base and where many Sigonella workers live, both Italian and American. Giusseppi knows everyone and had to stop to talk several times before we made it to the little pizza place he had picked out where we would eat. When we got there (at 9:30 of course) all six tables were full and there was nowhere for us to sit. While the Itallian friends were discussing what to do Giusseppi went up and talked to the owner and suddenly people were leaving their tables (and the restaurant) and the owner found us three small tables to put together to accomodate our group. Surreal.

Anyway, we had a some really good pizza and a lot of fun. In the photo around the table from front left are Alfio, Gionni (Johnny), Giusseppi, Marisa (Alfio's wife), Mimma, and Bob.

We had a great time at the carnival being introduced to several people whose names we will never remember. Getting cooling drinks the Sicilians call digestives but seem to be juice with grappa (ask me later) in it and going for gelati (plural for gelato). Giusseppi lost his wallet somewhere along the way but when he went to the Cabiniere office (military police who are the big-wig police) it had already been turned in and they had it waiting with nothing having been disturbed.

And.............we got home VERY late. Getting home at 12:30 seems to be the pattern for outings with our Sicilian friends. We're getting to understand the need for riposo, that time between 12:30 and 5:00 when all Sicilians go home, eat a big meal then take a nap or just rest awhile--no shopping, no getting the house clean, just rest.

The "club" came to our house for a fish and calamari dinner on Thursday. After dinner they brought out the cards and put Bob at the table with a game that was part Rummy, part Canasta partnered with Giusseppi against Mimma and Alfio. The other four were playing a game I didn't recognize but looked a little like Poker. My place? They put me in a chair by Bob and told me to translate for him. This is an old photo but same group without young Giusseppi from down the lane.

Next week we're out two nights with our friends. One night at the house of the only lady whose name I haven't gotten yet (I think someone called her something that sounded like Joanna). That will be on Wednesday after their English lesson. On Thursday we're going to Gionni's house in Fiumefreddo (translated cold river--literally "river cold"). We've not been there before but he tells us it looks out over Taormina and the sea. I'll bet it's beautiful. We'll get home late again, I'm ready for that nap just thinking about it.

The gardner is getting our pool ready for us to swim. It's a 32 X 6 foot above ground pool and takes several days to put up and get ready for swimming. They took it down for the winter right after we moved into our house and we could have had it up earlier but for two things. The first is the worry that Bullet would eat it, the second is that the gardner wanted two or three hundred Euro ($270 to $400) to put it up since it would take extra time. We said we weren't sure it was worth that much and then............ Bob said he saw Giusseppi talk to the gardner one day when he was here mowing and the next day he and his crew were putting up the pool. However, now whenever I let the dog off his chain I have to sit out and watch to make sure he doesn't eat the pool parts.

Speaking of the dog and his chain, we all--Giusseppi, Roberto (our landlord and Giusseppi's son) and we----decided that Bullet needs to be on his chain when we're not there to watch him. He's eaten our deck chairs, irrigation tubes from off the orange trees and a couple of the underground sprinklers for our lawn. In fact, the only words our gardner has ever said to me were, "cane mangie tutti". (translation: the dog eats everything).........but he said it with a smile.